Congress’s failure to end the disastrous Iraq War in 2007 masked a series of less visible but nonetheless important triumphs on national security issues.
Analysis of FY2008 “Bridge” War Funding Supplemental (Attached to Omnibus Appropriations Bill S. 2764): Cost of Wars Now Surpasses Vietnam War
by Travis Sharp On December 18, 2007, the Senate approved an amendment introduced by Republican leader Mitch McConnell providing $70 billion in “bridge” funding for ongoing U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration has requested $196 billion in war funding for Fiscal Year 2008. The $70 billion “bridge” provides 36% of this […]
Oversight, Sectarianism Mar Iraqi Security Forces Development
by Travis Sharp On November 30, 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an updated report on the infrastructure and performance of the Iraqi Security Forces. The report criticizes the Department of Defense’s overly optimistic reporting on progress, concluding that GAO cannot “find sufficient evidence for an assessment of ‘independent’ or ‘fully independent’ for […]
